The present invention generally relates to liners for stabilizing bags. More specifically, the invention relates to a plastic liner that is employed to impart rigidity to a plastic bag during filling of same.
Most bags, particularly plastic bags, are not sufficiently rigid to retain an opened and upstanding shape on their own. Instead, these bags collapse unless supported by some sort of stabilizing means. For example, wire frames are employed in grocery stores for hanging plastic bags by their handles.
In a more relevant instance, a bag supporting liner is disclosed at page 55 of a Fall, 1988 catalogue produced by a national retailer, Brookstone Company, Inc. This liner comprises a sheet of plastic that rolls up to form a tube or cylinder. The rolled-up plastic sheet is inserted into a standard trash bag to provide support so that the bag will stand up and stay open. The natural resiliency of the plastic sheet biases the sheet to an unrolled state and expands within the bag to the extent permitted by the size of the bag.
With the liner inserted into a bag, the bag can then be filled with trash, grass clippings, i.e., et cetera. The liner protects the bag from ripping and punctures.
The advertised liner expands up to 22 inches in diameter and stands 30 inches high. The liner includes handle openings at a top edge thereof for grasping so that once a bag is filled, the liner can be removed from the bag simply by lifting the liner out of the bag.